Not so Unexpected
by RockRaven244
Summary: An unexpected event threw Isabella into Edward's arms. Love, devotion and family loyalty keep her there. Sequel to Unexpected. Mature/AH
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own them... SunflowerFran gets all of the credit for making this pretty.

_**Edward:**_

I'm moving quickly; trying to get out of the diamond district before rush hour hits. I need to get home to my wife.

_Jesus._

My phone buzzes again.

Glossy pink lips with just a hint of tongue.

Fuck.

My cock is already fucking hard and this woman keeps sending these damn pictures.

At the stoplight, I scroll through the pictures she's sent today.

_ High heeled, open toe shoes with a single strap at the ankle - her fingers clasping the buckle._

_ Her breasts pushed up by a sexy black vest under her suit jacket._

_ Her fingers gripping a perfume bottle._

And finally, _glossy pink lips with tongue._

I adjust myself again and hit the gas when the light changes.

I'm immediately pissed off as I pull into the alley to access the garage. There are cars parked along the back wall of my house.

What the fuck?

I take a deep breath before getting out of the car; I need to calm my ass down. All I wanted was to come home, throw my wife over the arm of the sofa and fuck her senseless. I don't think she'll let me fuck her when we have a full house.

Fuck.

I light a cigarette and get out of the car, standing at the open garage for a minute. I see a black car at the end of the alley. Damn, fucking, asshole Feds. I drop my cigarette and step on it, hit the button to close the garage and go inside.

"Hey Ed," Jasper calls out. Fucker. No wonder everyone is here.

"Feds are outside."

He nods and calls Seth.

"Hey, baby," the sexiest, sweetest voice, says.

"Isabella," I give her a look, the look.

She smiles and moves closer to me, untying my tie.

I lean in and kiss her wrist, and then her neck and whisper, "How am I supposed to fuck my wife with all of these people here?"

Her hands stop moving and her breath hitches.

My lips are hovering at her neck, "I've been getting pictures all fucking day." I trail my finger from her collarbone to the crease between her breasts. "My dick has been hard _all fucking day_." I lick her neck, and she swallows, hard. "Hmmm, I like the way that looked."

Her fingers are on my chin and then her mouth is on mine. She pulls away abruptly and takes my hand, leading me to the bathroom at the back of the house. She shuts and locks the door, and that fucking tongue is between her teeth.

"Turn around."

She's facing the mirror now. I step behind her, and unbutton her suit jacket and then push the cups of the corset down exposing her beautiful tits.

I trail my hands down her stomach, to her thighs and use my fingers to lift her skirt; I run my hands around her hip and cup her ass, squeezing roughly.

"You've been teasing me all fucking day."

I run a finger along the inside of her thigh, but don't touch her where she needs me to.

"I don't like being teased, Isabella."

Her lids are half closed, and her bottom lip is between her teeth.

"Spread your legs."

Her heels make her the perfect height.

My finger runs along her ass, and I tease her to make sure she's wet for me.

I unbuckle my belt, unbutton and unzip my pants and then lean into her, making sure she can feel all of me against her.

"I'm going to fuck you, hard." I take her earlobe in my mouth. "You better hold on, baby."

I rip one side of her panties, grip her hips and then push into her.

I take her hair with one hand and whisper in her ear, "watch."

Seeing her flushed skin, eyes with heavy lids, her hair wrapped around my hand, and her body jerking with the force I was using were enough to make me come but I need her to be there with me. I release her hair and move my hand to hold her breast as her eyes follow my movement and her breathing becomes choppy. I pinch her nipple, and she clenches tightly around me, and suddenly I was done.

I rest my head on her back and rub her tit, hoping to ease the pain a little.

I stand up, rubbing my hands along her back.

"You okay, baby?"

Her forehead is on the counter, but she tilts her face so I can see her smile. "Perfect."

We adjust our clothes and kiss softly.

"I'm going to go out there. Don't be too long."

"Love you," is her answer as she combs through her hair.

I step into the hall to find Matteo walking toward the library. He looks at me, looks at the bathroom door, frowns and makes a gagging sound.

I laugh and raise an eyebrow at him.

"God, Dad, can you guys not do that when we're around?"

"Nope."

Bella opens the bathroom door and sees Matteo's face. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Ugh, I'm going to my room."

"Hey," Bella starts, but I pull her back.

"He was a little grossed out when he figured out what we were doing."

"Oh!" She blushes a beautiful pink. "Okay."

"Did you make dinner or are we ordering out?"

"It's in the oven. We were waiting for you."

She starts moving toward the kitchen, but I pull her back to me, again.

She frowns, but I kiss her lips softly. "I love you."

Her smile is shy and sweet. "I love you, too. Forever."

******************NSU*******************

a/n: so here we go ... let me know what you think? I'm going to finish off my vodka now.


	2. Chapter 2

_disclaimer: I don't own them. SunflowerFran made this pretty but any and all mistakes are mine. _

* * *

**_Daily Grind_**

_(Edward) _

"Jasper's wife is making me nuts, Edward."

Uh oh. She's only called 'Jasper's wife' when she's pissed everyone off.

"What happened?"

"He's the head of the family now; Jasper -not you. Why aren't the family dinners at their house? I'm tired of having to cook and clean after all of these people when it's not my place anymore."

I sigh and pick up the phone. It's been coming for a while, but if Bella's complaining then that means others are too. She is always the last to say anything.

"Hello."

"Hey, so is your wife ready to host dinner on Sunday?"

He doesn't answer right away, and I wait.

"Does Bella not want to cook?"

"Not really. You're the head of the family, you should be hosting Sunday dinner." He's quiet again. "Look Jas, Bella has been going out of her way to help, but she's got the kids, and her own business, not to mention all the other shit she has going on, Giselle isn't pulling her weight; people are starting to notice.

"Bella's tired and we have shit going on with the kids. She needs a break."

"I know. I'll take care of it, tell Bella I'm sorry for not acting sooner. It's just, she's been family for a long time you know? She took on that role before Giselle and I got married, but I should have stepped up once dad turned things over to me."

"Thanks, man. We still on for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, meet me at the club at 11:30."

"Alright, later." I wrap my arms around her.

"Thank you. I don't mean to complain but..."

"Baby, it isn't your job. Jas said he just didn't think about it since you've been doing it for so long. Don't worry."

We're quiet for a long time before she speaks again.

"How was it today?"

I let my head fall back. "Matteo got into a fight, off school grounds, but he called me from the deli after school. Those three little shits are giving me gray hair."

"Luca and Frankie, too?"

"Well, they were there for back up."

She shakes her head. She has no idea how to handle teenage boys.

"School ends next week, let's go somewhere; just you, me and the kids."

"Where do you want to go?" My mind is already on next week's schedule. What can I push off and what has to be done?

"Hawaii?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Book it." She straddles me and kisses my face.

"Thank you."

"I'll do anything for you, you know this."

"And I will do anything for you."

She gives me a sly smile and slides off my lap, settling between my knees on the floor. Her fingers unbuckle my belt, unbutton, unzip and then air conditioned air hits me; I shiver before the warmth envelopes me.

O_o_O

I roll my neck and look around the club. Twelve-thirty.

The drop should happen soon.

Undercovers are sitting at the bar; I chuckle and take a drink.

"Hey, man." Emmett's huge ass sits across from me.

"What's up?"

"Not a damn thing."

I can't help the snort that comes out. Everything is fucking perverted with him.

"How's the wifey?"

"Ah, man. Why you trying to bring me down?"

He takes a drink of his beer and leans forward.

"That bitch is going to kill me in my sleep one day. I fucking know it."

I laugh out loud at his crazy ass. He and his girl aren't married, but she is trying hard as hell to get there.

"What happened? Loretta giving you shit again?"

"Man, you just don't know. Should we send the UCs a drink?"

"No, let them think they're slick."

"That's no fun."

At that moment, Jasper walks up and shakes hands with us before sitting next to me.

"What's up?"

I nod toward the bar.

"How long have they been here?"

"Twenty minutes?" I look over at Emmett for confirmation, and he nods.

Seth walks in a few minutes later and finds the UCs quickly. He slows his step and looks over at us before approaching them.

We watch as he shakes hands and talks. After a few minutes, his posture stiffens and he nods; he looks pissed. The UCs stand, shake Seth's hand again and walk out. Seth asks the barkeep for a drink before coming our way.

"Solano got picked up. He's throwing your name around, trying to cut a deal."

I close my eyes.

_Fuck. _

"What'd he get picked up for?"

Seth snorts and shakes his head.

"Prostitution. He picked up a UC on the street and offered her a hit before he drove off. The search of his car produced a shitload of product and cash."

"Fucking idiot," Jasper groans.

I pull out my phone, 1:00 a.m.

"Enzo's still tied up."

"Can we wire in and see what he's saying? Do we have anyone at the station right now that can give him a message?" Jasper asked, and Seth pulled out his phone.

"What do you want to do with this guy?"

"He's a liability; he's dipping into the supply and it's made him sloppy. This isn't the first time he's been picked up, but for some reason he's singing this time. The cops are going to be tailing us, and the FBI is already on us like shit."

Jasper nods but doesn't say anything more. Seth comes back to us.

"No tape, they weren't running the cameras. They were hoping to get info on Ed; they were going to cut a deal but Solano was talking out of his ass and they knew it. The only reason they are holding out is because of the amount of product he had. No way could a guy like him come up with that shit if he wasn't working with someone big."

"So what you're saying is that it's a good thing we change up the meeting point and person every time? He's got nothing to stand on."

"Yep. Marquez is going to give him a message with his next bathroom break."

"Cool."

"We could send Paul to homeboy's pad."

"Paul showing up on his doorstep is going to cause some shit."

"Not on our end."

The conversation kept flowing around me, but I wasn't very focused. That motherfucker is trying to throw _me_ under the bus? I've taken care of him over the years, and this is how he repays me?

"Hey, let it go for now. We'll handle it when it's not so hot."

I nod, but I'm still damn pissed. My phone rings and I look at the Caller ID. Bella. I put my hand up and answer.

"Hey, Baby."

"Edward, there are cops on the doorstep, two of them. I haven't answered the door, but there is no one here with us."

"What do you mean no one is there?"

"Alessandro was here when we went to bed, but he's gone. I don't know if he left, or if he's in the police car. What do you want me to do?"

"Emmett's on his way, Baby. Don't open the door. Wake up Matteo and Luca; they'll know what to do."

Jasper told Emmett to head to my house as I hung up with Bella.

"That motherfucking asshole."

"Paul's on his way to Solano's, what do you want him to do?"

"Tell him to make sure everyone sees him on his way into the neighborhood and to stop in front of his house," I said.

"Actually, tell him to pull into the driveway. I want everyone in his 'hood to know he's doing business with us."

* * *

a/n: I tried to post this yesterday with no luck. This is my second attempt today-my mojo is off. Lol.

Thanks so much to all of you for your lovely reviews last chapter. They made me smile! I am sorry if I didn't reply to your review. The first few chapters will be shorter as we get back into the groove, but I plan to follow the same layout as Unexpected. Next chapter is in Matteo's POV. :)

Have a great week!


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own them. SunflowerFran made this pretty but any mistakes are mine and mine alone. Please read the a/n at the end of the chapter. Thanks!_

* * *

**_(Matteo)_**

I was staring up at the ceiling, bored out of my mind. First day of school and these fucking assholes are at it already.

You would think that being educated at a Catholic school would spare people all of the attitude and the judgmental bullshit found in public school. But no, for some reason, it is actually worse here, and it comes not only from the students, but from teachers, too. Gossip is no joke. Everyone knows who my family is, and the stories that I've heard from people are just, fucking ridiculous.

I've been attending Catholic school since Kindergarten, and I've known these people my whole life, and I've never done any of the things they say I have. But once these assholes understood what the last name Cullen meant, we were treated like snakes.

Even my best friend Tony, he was my boy. We hung out all the time, went to games, played ball on the same team for years. Then, all of a sudden he couldn't hang out with me anymore, and he doesn't even talk to me at school.

Well, fuck him. I don't need him.

Luca, Frankie and I are a team. Our dad and Frankie's dad are partners, so we watch out for each other.

Juju comes to our school too, but she's in seventh grade, so we don't see her during the day.

I'm fifteen, and in the eleventh grade.

My mom had me tested and it bumped me up a grade, otherwise Luca and I would be in the same grade. It's kind of cool, but the work is still easy as hell. I don't say anything to my mom though, 'cause I don't want her to move me again. And I don't want to leave Luca alone at school. My brother's tough, but I don't like the idea of him being on his own. He's in the tenth grade right now, I figure by the time I graduate, he'll be alright. By that time, he and Frankie will be able to kick ass if they need to.

Right now though, the asshole behind me keeps kicking my chair, and it's pissing me off. I turn around and give him a dirty look. He gives me a stupid look, trying to look innocent.

I turn around and start drawing on my notebook again. The kicking resumes, so I move my chair to the side, angled toward the wall.

Now the asshole starts kicking the leg of my chair, tap-tap-tap ... I stomp on his foot with the heel of my shoe and he yelps, making Sister Agatha look over at us.

I'm still slumped in my chair looking bored, so she turns back toward the board.

The asshole starts tapping on my chair with his pencil, so I take the fucking pencil and throw it across the room.

Why the hell is he fucking with me?

"Knock it off, asshole," I growl, trying to be quiet. I'm an excellent student, I don't do shit that I'm gonna get caught for. My mom was called to the school once, and I was grounded for two weeks. I learned to keep things on the DL since then.

But since the end of last year, people have had shit to say. It's like they can't help themselves. They don't know that I can fight. They don't know that I can shoot a gun. They don't know that I can work a knife.

My dad says I have to keep that shit quiet; never show people all your cards. But it looks as though keeping my cards so well hidden, has somehow made some people think I'm weak.

Mom is in for a rough year.

"Fuck you, Cullen," he says, not too quietly. The teacher stops writing, but she doesn't turn around.

Are you fucking kidding me? If I had said that shit, I would've been sent to the office. I'm grinding my teeth, trying to stay calm. This is so fucking unfair.

He taps on my shoulder, and I lose it. My right hand whips around and I punch him in the fucking throat. Not too hard, but hard enough that he gags and flies backward, his seat ramming into the desk behind him.

"Say it again, asshole," I'm standing now, looking him in the eye.

"Matteo Cullen, go to the principal's office!" Sister Agatha yells out.

I hold his eyes for another minute before rolling my neck and picking up my notebook and pencil from the floor, and throwing them into my backpack. I give Sister Agatha a salute and walk out of the room, loosening my tie and unbuttoning the top button of my shirt.

Taking my cell phone out of my pocket, I hit speed dial four.

"What's up?"

"Can you come to the school?"

My dad is quiet for a minute, "Yeah, what happened?"

"I punched Michael Abruzzi in the throat," I can only hope that if Dad comes down here, Mom won't give me too much shit when I get home.

"I'm on my way," he says. I am so happy that my family hates talking on the phone.

I walk into the office, "My dad is already on his way."

The secretary shakes her head and points toward the chairs next to Principal Lewis' office.

I plug in my ear buds and put on my music, blocking out everything around me.

The door opens, and I look up, a girl my age walks in with an older guy. I can't hear what they're saying, but she's in street clothes so she must be new. I'm about to turn away, but she looks over at me.

_Holy shit._

Long black hair, the bluest eyes I've ever seen, and a beautiful face. She almost looks like a doll she's so pretty. She's tiny, but damn, she looks good.

I see fingers snapping in front my face, trying to get my attention, and I look up to find Principal Lewis in my space. He stands up and points toward his office. I roll my eyes and pull out my ear buds, chancing another look at the girl.

She blushes, but gives me a shy smile.

I smirk, I can't help that shit; I learned it from my dad.

I turn to walk into the office, but look back at the girl once more, giving her a quick nod before the door is closed behind me, and she is out of sight.

I make a mental note to myself … find out who she is.

* * *

A/n: Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm kind of in love with E&B's teenage son and he will be a lot like the teenagers I know: Quiet, smart, determined and sneaky as hell...should be interesting. Thanks so much to everyone for your reviews last chapter. I appreciate them and I hope I answered all of your questions. For those of you that I gave the kids ages, I've changed it a little bit after re-reading the last chapter of Unexpected; I added them below.

I've received a few guest reviews over the past few weeks … Guest Reviewers, if you have questions you would like answered, please sign in. I cannot respond to you if I don't know who you are.

A few questions came up in the reviews. Here are a few details to help with time frames and whatnot.

1. Esme is not dead – I'm not sure where this came, from but she is alive and kicking. The first few chapters of NSU will reacquaint everyone with Bella and Edward and introduce everyone to their cool ass kids. I won't start introducing the others for a few more chapters; the chapters will also get longer as we move along.

2. Jasper got married at the end of Unexpected. If you want details, please read Ch.43.

3. Mobward's kids are:

Matteo 15

Luca 15 (he's about 8 months younger than Matteo)

Giuliana is 13

Annabelle is 9

Marco is 3

4. Yes, Matteo knows about Demetri and Gianna – I touched it in the last real chapter of Unexpected. We'll hear more about it in this story also.

Okay, I think that's everything. If you have any questions or confusion … please review or PM me and I'll be more than happy to respond.

Thanks again for reading and reviewing! I'm glad all of you (for the most part) are enjoying the story so far. Have a great weekend! See you next week.

Rock


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I don't own them. SunflowerFran is the magic behind the scenes, but any mistakes found here are mine._

* * *

_(Edward)_

I step into the office and look around.

Bella is the one that usually comes to the school, but Matteo called me this time. He punched that Abruzzi kid, so there must be something more to this story.

I walk up to the desk and wait.

The secretary is acting like she can't see me, so I knock on the counter-top.

Her head pops up and she stutters, "I'm sorry. Can I help you?"

Huh, maybe she didn't know I was there.

"Yeah, my son, Matteo Cullen, called me."

"Oh yes, just a moment."

She picks up the phone, her eyes keep glancing up at me. I lift an eyebrow at her, and she turns bright red.

That shit is so weird; why do women do that and then look embarrassed when they get caught looking?

I hate this fucking school. I'm okay with going to mass once a week, but the school is a nightmare. They go around teaching about how you should be good and love your fellow man, but it's a bunch of bullshit. People just aren't that good.

A door opens to the left, "Mr. Cullen?"

I nod and walk toward the man standing in the doorway. He reaches out and shakes my hand.

"I'm Principal Lewis."

"Edward Cullen."

He walks around his desk, "Mr. Cullen, Matteo punched a boy in class today. The other boy, Michael Abruzzi, said it was unprovoked, and Matteo refuses to tell me what happened."

I look at my son, "what happened?"

Matteo frowns, "he was messing with me the whole hour. Kicking my chair, hitting me with pencils, so I told him to stop and he cussed me out. And then he hit me on my shoulder so I punched him."

I looked back over at the principal. "So the Abruzzi kid can cuss in class with no consequences?"

"Mr. Cullen, Michael Abruzzi said he did nothing to provoke Matteo."

"Did you talk to the teacher?"

Principal Lewis turned a little red. I guess he didn't like people questioning his actions.

"She didn't even turn around to reprimand him when he cussed at me. The other kids in class laughed, and she acted like it didn't happen."

"So what happens now? He misses the rest of the day and comes back tomorrow?"

The principal is frowning. "Mr. Cullen, we do not condone violence in our school and students are normally suspended for incidents like this."

I opened my mouth to object, but he raised a hand and continued. "However, Matteo has never been in any serious trouble before. As a matter of fact, your children have always been well behaved and maintain good grades. I will let this incident slide, but if he is in my office again I will have to enforce the punishments."

"Alright, my wife and I will discuss this with Matteo at home. But I would expect, if there are future incidents, the other party involved will be sitting in your office along with my son. I pay good money to this school for his education and he deserves the same treatment as everyone else." I have a feeling Matteo is going to get into a lot of shit this year. "Is he free to go for the day?"

"Yes. See you tomorrow, Matteo."

"Later, Principal Lewis," my son answers, with a head nod.

I roll my eyes, but shake the principal's hand, thanking him before walking out.

Matteo was looking around the office when I finally got to him.

"Looking for someone?" I ask, and he jumps.

"Nah, no. Can we go?"

I shrug, and nod toward the door.

When we are in the car, I look over at him. "You wanna tell me what that was about?"

He slumps into the seat. "People are just... It started at the end of last year. My so called friends started talking shit and ignoring me. They started messing with me; I'm not just going to sit there and take it."

I nod. "You want to help me out today?"

"Sure."

I was afraid this was going to happen. I knew something was up. Tony was his best friend, and all of the sudden they weren't hanging out anymore. They played baseball over the summer, but when the game was over everyone went their own way.

Luca, Frankie and Matteo had always been buddies, but they got even tighter over the summer. Those three are gonna be a force to be reckoned with at school this year.

O_o_O

"Bella," I moan; her mouth, my God.

She hums and my body tenses. She looks up at me through her lashes, and I fucking lose it.

"Baby..." she takes me deeper into her throat and it's over. I should be embarrassed that I came so quickly, but it's like a game for us these days. How fast can you get there because one of the kids is going to bang on the door any minute?

But right now, it's two in the morning. The kids are asleep, and my wife is in a sexy black nightgown.

I pull her to her feet, my hands running up her thighs, pushing the nightgown up to her waist.

"No panties?"

She shakes her head no. Her hair is a mess from my fingers pulling on it, her face is flushed and her lips swollen. "You're so beautiful," I whisper, and push her back so she is leaning against the desk. I lean forward and play with her moist lips and kiss her. She's soaked, and my tongue dips inside, tasting her. My cock is waking up again, and her fingers are digging into my shoulders, and that damn lip is between her teeth.

I suck on her clit and push two fingers deep inside of her. I can feel her clenching around my fingers, and I run my other hand under her nightgown, cupping her breast in my hand. I love the way her body feels.

My wife has given birth to four of our five beautiful children, making her body a little softer, and a little rounder and she is still the sexiest woman I've ever known.

I pull my mouth away from her, and pull my fingers out but I'm still cupping her sex. I use my left hand to pull her toward me. I sit back on the chair and she places her legs on either side of me, letting me guide her onto me.

She gasps, and hums. I keep her still for a moment, enjoying how it feels to be inside of her. But it becomes to much and she starts to move. I wrap my hands around the side of her neck, tangling my fingers in her hair and I pull her face to mine so I can kiss her.

I love kissing her. She gives me everything in her kisses; her love, her happiness, her want.

The fucking chair starts rolling, and Bella's eyes pop open, her fingers grabbing onto me.

I laugh, "Hold on, baby."

Her arms wrap around my shoulders and I slip my shoes and pants off, then pick her up and walk over to the couch. I sit on the sofa and hiss, fucking leather is cold as hell.

Bella giggles and then leans in kissing me softly. "I love you, so much, Edward."

I slide my hands along her body and push the nightgown up, removing it from her body. Her beautiful breasts are in my face, so I lean forward and take one in my mouth.

Bella hums and starts moving again. She's tightening around me, circling, bouncing. My hands are roaming, my mouth is sucking at her skin, she's panting and her hair is like a curtain around my face.

We're in sync, and I start pushing up as she comes down. I place a hand on her stomach, my thumb grazing her sweet spot every time she moves. She closes her eyes, and moves one hand to rest on my thigh, her body splayed out for me. I watch where we're connected, my dark hand on her creamy, white stomach, my cock glistening with her juices. I press my thumb down and she gasps, "again."

I start moving my thumb, and she is shaking above me. I move quicker, quicker, needing to get her there. I need to feel her tighten around me so I can come inside of her.

Her arm goes weak on my thigh, and I grab her hips in my hands bringing her down on to me as I push into her. She tightens everywhere, her body tense, her eyes closed, her mouth open in a silent scream and I let go.

Her forehead rests on my shoulder and her hot breath blows over my chest. I'm rubbing my hands on her back and I'm fucking wheezing.

"Baby, you are amazing. I love being with you like this," I whisper in her ear.

She tilts her head to look at me, "Still? Even after having the kids?"

I bring my hand to her face, cupping her cheek. "Always. Even after ten kids."

"We are not having ten kids, are you crazy? I can barely handle the five we have."

I laugh, "I had to try right?"

She shakes her head, "crazy."

I look around for something she can clean up with, and grab the tissues from the table.

I close my eyes as she gets up, I hate that feeling of loss when we pull apart.

"You coming upstairs?"

I hum, and nod. "Yeah."

I reach a hand out to her and she helps pull me up. Wrapping my arms around her, we sway for a minute. I pull away slightly and she looks up at me.

I lean into her, kiss her softly, and whisper against her lips, _I love you_.

O_o_O

I drop the kids off at school in the morning because Bella had an early photo shoot.

"Bye, daddy! I love you! Bye Marco-baby," Giuliana and Annabelle lean between the seats to kiss my cheek.

"I love you, too, baby girls. Have a good day." Giuliana smiles; Annabelle laughs. That girl is going to be trouble when she starts liking boys.

I shake my head and look at Matteo as he opens the car door.

"Hey," I call out before he leaves. "Kick that Abruzzi kids ass if he fucks with you today."

Matteo nods and Luca looks at me with wide eyes before looking over at his brother. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you as we walk in," Matteo tells him. "Later, Pops."

Luca gives me a head nod and gives Marco a fist bump and then slams the car door. Fucking kids. I laugh, no wonder my dad is always giving me that shit about '_what goes around comes around_.'

I glance back at my little guy. He's smiling as he watches everyone walk into the school. He's already a rough and tumble kid but he always has a smile on his face.

Damn, I got at least fifteen more years of this.

I look in the rearview mirror, no gray hair yet.

"Alright, little man. You ready to go see Nana?"

"Yes! Nana!"

I laugh and put the car in drive.

* * *

_(__Matteo__)_

"Dude, what the hell? You couldn't tell me this yesterday?"

Luca is pissed.

I shrug. "Dad picked me up, and I didn't want to talk about it."

"Whatever," he shakes his head. "If that asshole tries something today, he'll be sorry."

We walk through the doors of the church.

Luca and I stand a little taller, and straighten our shoulders; it's kind of weird that we both did the movement at the same time.

I wonder if Dad and Uncle Jasper were like this when they were our age.

We walk along the right wall looking for Frankie, Juju and Annabelle. We always sit together for mass; a united front, my dad calls it.

Family first, always.

"What's up?" I nod my head at Frankie.

"'Sup?" Luca and Frankie bump fists and then lean back into the bench. Annabelle and Juju are talking quietly, and I look around the church. As I'm scanning the faces, I see that little shit Abruzzi on the other side of the aisle.

He's looking at me, and his face is red. He probably didn't expect me to be here today.

I smirk and give him a head nod. His mouth starts moving, and his sidekicks look over at me.

My smirk is gone, and now I'm staring them down. Luca and Frankie seem to be doing the same thing because the assholes eyes are shifting between the three of us.

Annabelle grabs my forearm and squeezes it. I look over at her.

"Is everything okay?"

I can't help but smile at her, "Yeah, it's all good. Don't worry."

She frowns, and looks over at Abruzzi before nodding and turning back to Juju, who is also frowning.

I pull a strand of her hair, "Don't worry about it. Everything's cool."

She shakes her head and then turns toward the front of the church. I look up also and catch a shimmer of black hair.

I shift a little so I can see if it's the girl I saw yesterday in the office. It's as if she can feel me looking, because she turns her head a little, looking over her shoulder.

When she sees me, her cheeks turn pink and she smiles, turning back toward the front.

Luca hits me with his elbow, and I hit him back.

"Who're you smiling at?" he whispers.

Shit, I was smiling?

"I'll tell you later."

He shakes his head, and we're quiet for the rest of the mass.

O_o_O

Walking into the cafeteria at lunchtime was a little strange. People watched me today, which is weird, since they usually ignore me. I guess people got word of what happened yesterday.

Mom was kinda pissed, but she didn't say much. I wonder if she and Dad talked about it. Maybe she's been waiting for shit like this to start happening. I mean, our family name alone has caused trouble for them before. They aren't the most popular parents at St. Mike's.

I grab a wrapped sandwich, a bag of chips, an apple and a bottle of water and turn to head over to my usual table when someone smacks into me. I raise my hands to protect my sandwich and chips, and that's when I see the tiny girl with black hair in front of me.

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Her voice is shaky and quiet.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?" I take the time to look at her.

Her hands are gripping my blazer.

She removes her hands quickly, smoothing out my shirt and blazer. And oh fuck, I need to step away because my body is definitely reacting to her right now.

"Hey, it's alright. Don't do that."

"Oh, oh, sorry. I'm okay. Thanks."

She tries to move around me, but I step in front of her.

"You're new here."

She looks around the room, and then looks up at me with bright blue eyes, looking a little shy, and a little afraid.

"Yeah," she sighs. "I'm Grace."

"Grace," I say her name, liking the way it sounds. "I'm Matteo. You can come sit with us, my sister is there, too." I felt as if I needed to point that out for some reason.

Her eyes shoot up in surprise, "Really? Okay. I'm just going to grab something real quick."

I nod and wait for her. When she comes back over, she only has a container of yogurt and a bottle of water.

"That's all you're eating?"

She shrugs and nods, so I do the same thing and lead her over to the table.

Luca and Frankie are looking at me with stupid faces. I narrow my eyes at them, and they start laughing, but keep their mouths shut. Damn, they're going to fuck with me later though.

"Hey, this is Grace." I point and introduce everyone, "My brother Luca, that's Frankie, and my sister Giuliana."

She says hello to everyone as she sits down. I sit next to her and open up my sandwich.

When I look up, everyone's staring at me.

"What?" I ask, stuffing food in my face. I can feel my ears getting hot.

Juju looks at me with a smile and then turns to Grace. "So what grade are you in?"

Grace smiles, "ninth, how about you?"

"Seventh, so I get to have lunch with these clowns this year. Where are you from?"

"New Jersey. But I spent the summer in Italy with my ... family," she hesitated a little before saying family and her nose wrinkled as if she didn't want to call them that.

"Oh yeah?" Juju's face lit up. She loves Italy.

"Where did you stay? Our grandparents live there. Well, they live here and over there, but we go all of the time. I love Italy."

Juju kept talking, never actually giving Grace the chance to say where she was from.

I wonder if Dad knows her family.

As Juju and Grace talk, I lean toward Luca and Frankie. "Anything happen this morning?"

Luca glances at the girls, and shakes his head. "Not really, Abruzzi's sister said some shit this morning about her poor brother getting beat up by a thug."

I laugh. "He calls that getting beat up? Asshole doesn't even know..." I trail off when I see Grace's face; her eyes are wide and her cheeks are a little flushed.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Is that why you were in the office yesterday? You're the kid that everyone's talking about?"

I can't stop the frown that covers my face.

_Damn._

I want to let my shoulders slump; I knew this was too good to be true.

Whatever.

I'm sure she can find new friends, her reputation won't be too damaged since today is her first day, and she doesn't know anyone.

"Yeah. He was messing with me, and I stopped him," my voice is a little rougher than I wanted it to be, but fuck if I wasn't disappointed that I wouldn't get to know this girl.

I finish my sandwich quickly, not joining the conversation with Luca and Frankie. I give Juju my apple, and she gives me a sad smile.

"See you guys later."

I quickly make my way out of the cafeteria and pull my cigarettes out of my pocket. Mom's going to flip the fuck out if she ever finds these.

I light up and lean against the wall. I'm somewhat hidden from everyone in this spot. No one ever comes to this side of the building.

I hear footsteps and stop moving.

Fuck.

I put the smoke out on the wall and hold it in my palm so no one can see.

I'm surprised when I see Grace peek around the corner. I frown and then run my hand through my hair.

"Anyone follow you?"

Luca, Frankie, and Juju are right behind her, and I laugh.

I light up again and inhale deeply, leaning my head against the wall.

Luca and Juju are arguing about something, Frankie's laughing, and Grace keeps sneaking looks at me.

"You know, you're gonna get labeled if you hang out with us."

She moves closer and leans against the wall next to me.

"Yeah? Labeled as what?"

"A troublemaker," I snort.

Juju laughs, "Oh yes. We are the troublemakers of St. Mike's. You can ask anyone. We are common day thugs."

I reach out and fist bump her.

Luca snorts, "yep, didn't you know that Matteo almost killed that kid in class yesterday? He was totally unprovoked."

"Damn, man, I didn't know it was like that. I don't think I can hang out wit' you fools anymore," Frankie starts to walk away, but Luca jumps on his back, trying to get him in a headlock.

"We're bad influences, Gracie. Run while you can."

She smiles shyly, and then looks over at Juju, Luca and Frankie. "You look like regular kids to me. I think I'll take my chances."

The bell rings, and we all groan.

Three more hours before we can escape this place.

Before we walk back into the building, I feel a tug on my arm. I look down at Grace, and her cheeks are pink again, and she looks a little nervous.

"Thanks for being nice to me today," I nod and turn toward the cafeteria.

I hold the door open for her, and as she passes me she says, "and I liked it when you called me Gracie."

My eyebrows shoot up as she walks away with a little sway to her hips.

Did I call her Gracie? Damn, if she's gonna walk like that I'll call her that all the damn time.

I run to catch up to her and bump her with my shoulder, smiling before I turn down the hall toward my class.

* * *

a/n: Hello! Happy Saturday (or Sunday if you are ahead of me). I hope you are having a great weekend.

I hope you liked this one. more answers will come in the next few chapters. Also, Frankie is the son of one of the guys that works with Edward. I know there were some questions...

Thanks so much for the reviews last chapter. I appreciate it more than you know. Also, your comments and questions inspire the direction I might take things. I love it when the reviews throw something at me that I didn't even consider. Like - do you guys need Jasper's POV in here? He is the head of the family, but my story focuses on E&B. In my head, if Ed was the head honcho, he would not be able to spend so much time with Bella and the kids. Jasper has his own drama going on that will bleed in a little bit, but if you guys want more details just let me know. Maybe I can create an outtake story with POV's of the different family members.

Ok, I've rambled enough. Thanks so much for reading! Have a great week!


	5. Chapter 4 and a half

_Disclaimer: I don't own them. Fran makes this pretty. I own all of the mistakes in this document. _

* * *

_**Revenge**_

_**(Michael Aro)**_

"Michael," my uncle started, but I cut him off.

"How can you sit here and not take action?" I'm furious. The fucking Cullens have been making money hand over fist while our family struggles to gain the wealth we once had. "They took out my uncle, my dad! It's their fucking fault we're in the trouble we are now!"

"Your dad did the same to them! He started running our business out of their territory, planted a woman that belonged to his brother..."

"I don't give a fuck what he did!" I yell, my voice shaking.

"You are not thinking this through clearly. You hold too much hate and rage."

I roll my eyes.

"Michael, we aren't doing this. Our family is just starting to recover; everything is calm, and there are operations in the works that I do not want affected by your temper."

"Uncle Daniel, how can you sit there and allow them to keep disrespecting us? Do you have no pride?"

"DO NOT FUCKING TALK TO ME ABOUT PRIDE!" My uncle yelled, slamming his hand on the desk. "You have no fucking idea the shit your father and uncle put our family through. Ask your mother if your father deserves your devotion. Do you have any idea what he did to her? Not to mention his bastard daughter that floats around here as a constant reminder. Your father and uncle are as much at fault as anyone else."

I sit in shock. My uncle never loses his cool, and he's never spoken to me with such anger.

He covers his face and takes a breath.

"Michael, continue with school, learn the operation. There are events about that time in our family that you don't fully understand. Do not make uninformed decisions. Promise me Michael, do you hear me?"

I'm fucking seething, but I keep the blank mask.

"Yes, Uncle."

"Go find Gino and do whatever it is you are supposed to be doing. I don't want to speak of this again."

I nod and walk out.

When I exit the warehouse and step into the sunlight, I slip on my shades and light a cigarette.

I take a couple of drags and start walking.

My phone rings.

"How do you feel about taking a trip?" I ask, before he has a chance to speak.

I don't give a fuck what Daniel says, the Cullen's are going to pay for what they took from me.

* * *

a/n: see you Saturday...


	6. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I don't own them. SunflowerFran made this pretty._

* * *

_(Bella) _

Dinner was unusually quiet tonight.

Matteo looked ... happy? In fact, all of them looked weirdly happy, as if they had a secret I wasn't privy to.

When I asked them how school was, Matteo smiled and shook his head, but didn't answer me.

Edward isn't home yet, so I can't bug him until he tells me what is going on with my kids, with my oldest son.

I frown a little; I hate that my babies are growing up.

I finish cleaning the kitchen and turn off the light.

I make my way toward the laughing baby and smile as I walk into the living room.

Marco is putting on a show for everyone.

Matteo's iPod is plugged in, and heavy bass is pumping through the speakers as Marco bops his head and shakes his butt to the beat.

"Go Marco, go Marco," Luca and Annabelle are chanting, egging him on.

Matteo is laughing and waving his hand in the air.

The song ends, and Marco does a spin and throws himself on the floor, rolling into a pose.

I finally laugh aloud, clapping.

Marco jumps up and runs to me.

"Did you see my moves, Mama? I'm a good dancer!"

"You're amazing!" I kiss his face and pick him up.

"Okay, showers, homework, all that good stuff. Let's go."

The kids pick up their things and start heading up the stairs. That's when I notice Luca giving Matteo a sneaky smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Hey," everyone stops and looks at me.

"What was that?" I give Luca my own raised eyebrow.

His face turns pink and Matteo's eyes narrow.

"Nothing, Mama."

Ok, now I definitely know he's hiding something.

"Tell me."

"Matteo has a girlfriend," Luca laughs and runs up the stairs.

My eyes shoot up, and I look at the girls.

"Mom, there's a new girl at school. She just started today," Juju rolls her eyes. "Luca is so annoying."

She squeezes Matteo's arm as she passes by, but Annabelle giggles.

"She's really pretty, Mommy. If Matteo likes her they'd be soooo cute together!"

Matteo is shaking his head, and I can't help but giggle.

"Matt, is she nice?"

He looks at me, and I can see the indecision there.

"Honey, it's okay if you don't want to tell me, but please don't sneak around okay?"

He nods and turns to go up the stairs. He stops halfway up and turns around.

"She is nice, Mom ... so far," he shrugs.

"Good."

Marco's hand is on my cheek, turning my face toward his.

"Bath time!"

I laugh, "yes, bath time. Let's go."

O_o_O

The baby and Annabelle are asleep, Juju is watching a movie in the loft, and Matt and Luca are in their rooms.

I hate that the boys are teenagers and that they prefer their rooms to the open areas in the house. Edward tells me this is normal, teenage boy behavior, but I don't have to like it.

I'm in my office going through proofs for the shoot I did this morning.

I've been pretty lucky to maintain the contract for a boutique that has grown tremendously over the past few years.

They have a monthly catalog, and I get to be pretty creative with the layout and style. I work with other photographers for the blog and website, and we all get along nicely.

I sigh, closing my eyes. The long day is finally getting to me.

I decide work is just going to wait another day and make my way to the loft.

Juju is giggling and smiles when she sees me.

"Mind if I join you?"

She makes room for me on the loveseat and lifts the blanket for me.

I sit, and she snuggles into my side.

"What are we watching?"

"The Princess Diaries."

I watch Anne Hathaway transform from a nerdy girl with frizzy hair and glasses, to a well-polished, beautiful princess.

I laugh as I think about how I looked in middle school.

"What's so funny?"

"I think I looked like her when I was your age. Nerdy, braces, frizzy hair."

"Really?" Juju's eyes are wide with surprise.

"Sadly, yes. I didn't have my mom around to help me with all the girly stuff, and my dad was hoping I wouldn't figure it out."

I smile as I think of my dad and his outdated mustache and flannel attire.

"It wasn't until I got to high school that I realized flannel was not fashionable," I laugh, looking at my daughter.

I brush her hair from her face.

"You're so lovely," I say to her. "Your Dad is going to have a meltdown when boys start coming around."

Juju rests her head on my shoulder and squeezes my hand.

"Mom, what happened to your mom? Why wasn't she around?"

I sigh and rest my head on top of hers.

"That's a good question. I don't honestly know what happened to her. I think her family made some bad decisions that ultimately affected her. I think she tried to protect me ..." I trail off. "And she just ended up in a bad place when it was all said and done."

"Do you think you'll ever see her again?"

I've been asking myself this question for years, so I answer honestly.

"I think it's only a matter of time, baby."

O_o_O

_(Grace)_

I can't stop smiling.

Matteo Cullen is ... I don't even know what _is _the right word for him.

Gorgeous, definitely.

And really, genuinely nice.

He's the only person that talked to me on the first day of school, and I'm a little embarrassed at how obsessed I am with him. I mean, I've only known him a few hours, and I can't stop thinking about him.

I sit up quickly and school my expression at the knock on my door.

Renee walks in quickly and places a finger to her lips. She points to the doors leading out to the patio and opens them quietly.

I follow her outside with a frown on my face, unsure what could be causing her to do this.

She grabs my hand and leads me out of the gate and toward the street. We walk quietly for a few minutes and end up in front of a coffee shop.

She orders two Chai's and taps her foot nervously.

Once we have our drinks, she points at a couple of club chairs in the back corner of the shop.

"What's going on?" I ask, my patience has run out.

"Grace," she looks around the shop and then moves to the edge of her seat. "Michael and Gino are on their way here."

I gasp and sit back in my chair. "No!" I whisper-yell. "Why?"

Renee shakes her head and frowns. Her eyes are misting with tears, and her shoulders slump.

Her finger is tracing the lid of her coffee cup, and she shakes her head again.

"You know I had a daughter before ..." she trails off.

I nod. "I've heard stories," I say, uncomfortably. Renee and I are the '_unwanted_' family members, so we always hear all the crap people say about us. It's like they can't help throwing it in our faces.

"Her name is Isabella. She's here in Chicago," her eyes are pleading with me to understand.

"What? Is that why we're here?"

"I just want to see her. To see that she is okay, despite the shit my family put her through. I'm better now ... and she has a family, children and a husband. I want to explain everything; she deserves that much from me."

I don't say anything, but I feel as though this is a really terrible idea.

"So what does this have to do with Michael and Gino?"

"Michael thinks he has to avenge his father's death, your father's death."

I snort, "please. I don't have a father, and Michael is ..." I don't finish because I try not to stoop to the Aro Family level. I've been called names all my life, and I don't want to become like them; bitter and mean.

Renee squeezes my hand.

"He's coming here, and I'm sure it has to do with Isabella and her family. Her children go to your school."

My eyebrow lifts in question.

"I don't know their first names, but the last name is Cullen."

My heart drops to my stomach because only an evil force would do this to me.

* * *

a/n: Hi! I hope you enjoyed this. I think this answered a lot of questions from your reviews this past week. I loved all of your guesses about Grace.

So I'm going to pimp out Fran. She was nominated for the Fanatic Fanfics Multifandom Awards for Favorite Beta Reader. Please go take a look. fanaticfanicsawards. blogspot. com. There are so many great people nominated, at the very least, you'll find something amazing to read.

Thanks so much to all of you for reading and reviewing. I truly appreciate that you take time out of your day to read my little story.

Have a great week! See you next weekend. :)


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I don't own them. SunflowerFran used her voodoo to make this look pretty._

* * *

**_(Matteo)_**

My dad hands me a bag of frozen peas and checks my hand.

"I don't think it's broken," he says, twisting my hand and pressing his fingers along the bones all the way up to my wrist.

Honestly, I'm so pissed off I could cry. I'm not going to, but I feel so fucking ...

"Hey," Dad says quietly, his hand cupping my neck.

I look at him.

"You're all right."

I take a deep breath, but I don't say anything.

I feel another bag of something cold on my neck, and I lean back, enjoying the sensation.

The assholes that jumped me didn't get a shot at my face, but my head hit the wall pretty hard when they first rushed me.

It was all adrenaline after that.

Assholes.

They tried to take me three on one, but I still kicked their sorry asses.

Luca and Frankie didn't know what happened until after school let out.

"Damn, dude. The only sign that you were even in a fight is your hand," Luca says.

I don't respond.

"Luca, go get that first aid kit from the bathroom," Dad says.

"No more going off alone at school and stop fucking smoking before your mom kicks my ass."

I snort, but nod my head. I'm not sure how hard that will be.

When Luca hands him the kit, he puts ointment on my hands, then bandages and wraps it for me.

"I'll talk to your mom, okay? Don't be surprised if she rushes into your room to check on you."

"I'll leave the door open."

"Matteo, this won't last long. Once it gets around that you can handle yourself, people will stop fucking with you."

"Yeah but ... these guys used to be my friends and they just ..."

"I know," Dad sighs, and rubs his face. "I can't say that it will ever change. I've learned that the only people I can be myself with is my family and your mom. Everyone else," he shrugs. "They don't mean shit, and I can't let those people and their opinions matter to me."

I nod and look at my hand.

"I'm sorry this is happening, son. I'm sorry that our ... our lifestyle, is causing this."

"It's not even that, though. I mean," I shake my head, frustrated. "Our family is strong, and we love each other. You and Mom are here, you know? Our family is more stable than theirs will ever be. They know this, but they start this shit because of our name?"

I can feel myself getting pissed again, so I take a deep breath.

"I'll be upstairs." I lift my bandaged hand in the air, "thanks, Dad."

Before I go up, I look back at my dad. He has a hand covering his face and his other hand twirling a glass of brown liquor.

I want to be pissed that the 'family business' is the cause of all of this, but I can't. It's not as though we're the first generation or anything. This is something that has been around for a lot of years. And it's not like my dad's out there blowing shit up or going on murder sprees. He does whatever he does and has his businesses ... he even makes us work on the weekends, so we don't get lazy.

He's right.

Fuck them.

* * *

**_(Edward)_**

I feel like shit, and I'm pissed off like I've never been before.

My son comes home from school and tells me that fucking Abruzzi kid and his sidekicks jumped him after school, and no one fucking stepped in to stop it.

My kid is tough I know this. I've made sure that he and Luca can take care of themselves and their sisters.

I just hate that our name is causing him trouble. Matteo's always been a great kid, quiet and smart. I hate that this shit is happening.

"Hey, Pops," I look up at Luca with a raised eyebrow. "It's all good, you know? This isn't your fault. It will blow over."

Always the optimist, this one.

"Thanks, kid. Do me a favor and keep your head straight, all right? The last thing we need right now is for you and Matteo to get suspended or expelled. I don't want Annabelle or Giuliana at school unprotected."

His eyes narrow and he bites his lip, a frown crossing his face.

"Yeah, Dad, I get it," he taps my shoulder as he walks past me.

"Fuck."

I down my drink and stand up.

I'm on my way upstairs when the house phone rings. I go back into the kitchen and pick up the phone on the wall.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

"Hello?"

"Listen, asshole ..." the line clicked. Whoever was on the other end hung up, and that makes me fucking worried.

I hear the garage door open, and I rub my face again as I make my way to the door.

I stand against the doorjamb and wait as Bella grabs her things from the backseat. When she gets to me, I smile.

"Hi Baby."

I lean down and kiss her softly, slowly, needing her comfort.

"You okay?" She asks.

"Matteo got into a fight at school," I say, quietly. "He's okay. His hand is a little banged up, and he has a bump on his head."

I take her bags and move aside so she can walk inside. I shut and lock the garage door before setting the alarm.

"I'm going to check on him. Are you sure you're okay?" Her hand is on my face, her eyes worried.

"I'll talk to you after you check on the kids."

She frowns, but nods and quickly makes her way upstairs.

I dial Jasper and let him know about the weird hang up before shutting off all of the lights and following Bella upstairs.

O_o_O

What's that fucking buzzing?

The bedroom door opens and the TV is quickly turned on.

"Fuck," I groan. "Really?"

"Edward, wake up." Bella's voice is quiet but urgent, which is not normal at this time of day.

I open my eyes and she hands me a cup of coffee, nodding at the TV.

"_Breaking news this morning. Mexican drug lord Javier Ruiz has been arrested. Officials in Chicago are saying that this arrest is a __huge victory in the war on drugs. Ruiz is believed to be responsible for the majority of the cocaine invading the city of Chicago. We are going to cut to a live feed at the Mayor's office regarding the arrest ..."_

Oh shit.

I switch the channel to CNN.

My phone buzzes again, and both Bella's phone and the house phone are ringing.

I pick up my phone.

"Fuck, Ed. Are you watching this shit?"

"How the hell does this even happen? He was in a hotel without guards? If this shit is true, it's going to be a fucking warzone."

"We're meeting at your house in an hour."

"Yeah, okay," I hang up.

"What did he say?"

"Everyone is coming over," I answer. "Fuck."

"Edward, do we need to be worried?"

I look at my wife. Her eyes are dark with worry, I hate seeing her upset. I set the coffee cup on the side table and reach for Bella, pulling her into my arms.

"Not yet. I need you to be aware when you are out; make sure you have a piece on you and don't go anywhere alone."

"What about you?"

I rub my face and shake my head. "I don't fucking know. I have a feeling that fucking asshole Solano has something to do with this, but I'll know more once Jasper gets here."

She nods, but her lip is between her teeth and her eyes are glassy.

"Hey, I'll do anything to protect you and the kids. Don't worry."

"I'm worried about you. Edward, if something were to happen to you ..." she trails off.

I hug her tightly. "I know, Baby."

What a fucking way to start the weekend.

O_o_O

"Okay, look. We need to know who the fuck set this up. Ruiz has been on the streets right under everyone's fucking nose for years. How did this happen all of a sudden?"

"Do you think Solano ties into this somehow? Who the hell knows what he said in that damn interrogation room."

"Have you talked to Ty?"

"I can't get a hold of him."

"Damn it."

"Look. I think we should talk to Liam. If something's up, he'll know about it."

This pisses Jasper the hell off. He glares at me, his jaw clicking with the words he's holding back.

"Jasper, if Solano said something that even hinted we were doing business with Ruiz, we're screwed. The Feds are looking for any reason to come after us. It doesn't matter that he hasn't seen us, or that we've never spoken to him. Everyone knows that there's no way he could have gotten the amount of shit he had in his car without a connection."

"Fucking call him," he growls and then walks out of the office.

O_o_O

I walk into the pub and look around. There are strings of lights hanging over the bar, but the rest of the place is pretty dim.

It's a long room with high tables set up along the walls and an archway that leads into another room. There are a few booths back there and four or five tables that seat four to six people.

It's not a bad place to grab a drink, I say to myself before noticing how quiet it suddenly became.

I look around to see people looking at me with narrowed eyes.

I walk to the back and grab a seat in the only open booth.

A waitress walks into the area to check on customers but completely ignores me. In fact, every person in this place is ignoring me.

I laugh to myself. I should have expected this. I'm an Italian in an Irish Pub.

It's been about twenty minutes of dirty looks and blatant staring. I pull out my phone, check the time and send a quick text to Bella.

Just as I decide to leave and try to call Liam later, a shadow crosses me.

I smile when I look up.

"Liam, _cousin_, how are you?"

He laughs, loud and carefree. "Edward, _cousin, _I'm well," he stretches a hand out, and I shake it.

"Amber, bring us two burgers and two Newcastle's."

The waitress that's been ignoring me since I arrived, smiles and goes toward the kitchen.

"Tough crowd."

Liam shrugs and smiles.

"Long time no see. How've you been?"

"All right. You? How are Maggie and the kids?"

He nods, smiling, "pretty fucking good."

I can't help but laugh. I'm not sure why Jasper hates Liam so much, we've always gotten along pretty well.

Liam is our very, _very_ distant cousin, a Cullen with two Irish parents. This pub has been in the family for forty years. They've been in Chicago just as long as we have, and I've always wondered if things were planned that way.

Once our food and drinks are on the table, Liam leans into me.

"So, what brings you here?"

"You've heard the news?"

Liam nods and takes a bite of his burger before speaking.

"What I hear is that the guy that got pinched is an idiot, a drug addict; no credibility. The other one," he says, with a raised eyebrow. "His own guys set him up. You might get a little heat," he shrugs, unconcerned.

I nod, a little relief slipping through me knowing that we won't get caught up in Ruiz's shit. I thought our family was crazy, but those fuckers are on a different level.

Liam is staring at me, and this makes me tilt my head to the side.

"You have bigger things to worry about. There are some … visitors in Chicago. You should make sure your wife and kids are protected."

I stare at him, long and hard.

"Visitors."

"People will come to Chicago because of these visitors and let's just say, it's going to cause a little excitement."

"Excitement like we had awhile back?" I ask, hoping like hell he says no.

He nods, and stuffs a fry in his mouth.

Damn it.

"Is Duffy around these days?"

Liam smiles and nods holding his fist out to me, "he sure as hell is. I'll have him get at you."

O_o_O

a/n: Hi! I hope you like this one. A few new people, another fight at school, Matteo is pretty pissed off ... Bella's POV is up next. Please drop me a line, let me know what you think. I know there are questions about Jasper and his wife and why meetings are happening at Edward's house - it will be answered soon. I have posted a few pictures of the different characters on Facebook. These are the characters in my head, please don't be angry if you don't like them. Lol.

I've had some RL shit going on this past month so I've been terrible at responding to reviews. I apologize for that, but I appreciate that you are taking the time to read and comment. That being said, I'm not going to be able to post next weekend. I will be out of commission most of the week and will have family in town through the weekend. If it is at all possible, I will put something out there sooner than later. :) Thanks so much for being understanding. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I don't own them. SunflowerFran makes this pretty._

* * *

**_Bella:_**

It's been a weird day.

All day, I've felt as if someone has been watching me.

I'm alert, and keep an eye on things around me. My camera is always in my hand, I snap random photos of the city block hoping my nerves are just frayed, and someone isn't actually watching me.

The photo shoot goes longer than expected due to a random rain shower, but once I think I've captured everything, we wrap up, and I pack my equipment so I can go home.

I call Edward, hearing music and yelling in the background. My heart swells knowing he and the kids are home.

"Hey, baby," my husband's lovely voice soothes my nerves, making me smile.

"Hi, what are you guys doing?" I laugh, hearing Matteo scream _yeah, baby_!

Edward snorts, "The kids are playing Wii Sports. Matteo is killing us at tennis."

I can't help but giggle at the laughing and yelling in the background.

"I'm going to pick up some pizza, is that okay?"

"Hey, guys!" He yells, "pizza?"

"Yeah!" They all yell back. "And one with everything, Ma!"

"Did you get that?" Edward laughs.

"Got it, be home soon."

"Okay, I love you. Be careful."

"I love you too," I say with a smile, hanging up.

Gah, that man still makes my stomach flutter.

After I place my order, I get that eerie feeling again that I'm being watched.

Alessandro is sitting across from me, looking out of the window.

His eyes are trained on the corner, and I try to turn around casually to see what he's looking at. I grab my purse set it to the side, and start digging inside.

I look to where I think Alessandro is focused and see two guys on the corner; young, Italian and obviously not from this neighborhood.

Alessandro takes a look around the restaurant then pulls his cell phone out and makes a call as I sit across from him, my own cell phone in hand.

I look up to see a brown haired woman and with a petite, dark haired girl walking quickly past the window. I watch them for a moment before shifting my gaze back toward the front.

That's when I notice Special Agent Dwyer standing on the opposite side of the street.

I sigh and stand when my order is called.

O_o_O

I've cut my hours at the gallery. I still go in every morning, but Charity is an efficient office manager who keeps things running smoothly.

She's extremely no-nonsense, but she has a kind way about her that puts people at ease.

She walks into my office with her notebook and two coffees. We drink, chat and get down to business.

Appointments, deadlines, showings; we work through most of it when a knock sounds on my door.

I look up to see Seth and Enzo in the doorway, and my heart rate speeds up.

"Hey, come in."

"Sorry to interrupt but we need to talk to you for a minute, Isa."

"Of course, Charity, we can finish this up in a few."

"Sure thing, boss."

Charity gives Seth a long look, and he gives her a small smile.

_Interesting_.

He catches me watching them and clears his throat.

"What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to let you know that you were right about the FBI following you. Dwyer, and some other guy have been on your tail during the day. We're going to sweep your office, and then we'll head to your house and do the same. I just didn't want you to be surprised if you saw them on the street or they show up with a warrant."

"Does Edward know?"

"Yeah, and he's pissed off, but whatever," Seth waves his hand in the air. Seth is the only man that is not fazed by Edward's crazy. It makes me wonder how crazy Seth is.

I nod. "Okay. I'm heading out any way, you guys take your time, and I'll see you at the house later."

I walk up to the front desk and finish up with Charity, and I turn around, Special Agent Dwyer walks into the gallery.

The man has tried to get me to talk to him for years, and I always refuse. But lately his requests have been more urgent, he isn't waiting around for me anymore. He wants answers; I can see it in his blue eyes.

"Mrs. Cullen," he says politely, smiling at Charity.

"Special Agent Dwyer, how nice to see you."

"May I have a minute of your time, Mrs. Cullen?"

I nod and lead him to the conference room that sits opposite of Charity. The walls are glass allowing everyone to see what is going on.

Once the door is shut, he doesn't waste any time.

"Mrs. Cullen, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. I've been on this assignment for a long time, and I'd love nothing more than to get an arrest and conviction but ..." he shakes his head. "I'm not willing to allow you or your children to get hurt."

"What do you mean?" I frown, feeling the color drain from my face.

He looks down at the table and shakes his head, mumbling what sounds like _I can't believe I'm doing this._

"Daniel Aro's nephew and two of his associates are in town. We have reason to believe that they are here to harm your family. Also," he pauses, taking a deep breath. When his eyes meet mine, they are cautious and a little sad. "Renee Buccieri, also known as Renee Swan is also here in Chicago. She has two others with her; a young girl and an older man."

I sit back in my chair and stare at him. My heart feels like it will beat out of my chest and my mind is spinning in different directions.

"I don't ..." I shake my head. "Why are you telling me this?"

He rubs his face with his hands before leaning forward, placing his hands flat on the table.

"Mrs. Cullen, I know that I am not the ideal person to help you. But I feel as though I have this …" he frowns and shakes his head, "attachment to you and your children. I have been on this assignment since your boys were babies, and God help me, I can't just sit back and watch things happen. Not when I know that it will end badly."

I'm stunned.

This man who is supposed to be doing everything in his power to destroy our family is actually giving us a warning.

Special Agent Dwyer pulls out his business card and slides it over to me.

"Mrs. Cullen, Isabella, please use that. If you get into a situation and you can't find a way out, please …" he nods at the card, and stands. "Have a good afternoon."

Seth walks into the conference room as soon as Dwyer leaves.

"Isa?" He asks.

"The Aro's are in town."

"What? How do you know that?"

I hold up the business card, "he just told me. I need to speak to Edward."

O_o_O

Matteo is watching me with concern as we sit at dinner later that evening.

I try to act normal, but how am I supposed to do that? My mother, the woman I haven't seen in years is here in Chicago.

Why? What made her come here of all places? And who is she with? Does she have another daughter? Or is it the same daughter that was here fifteen years ago? Is she helping the Aros? That is my biggest concern.

I'm also angry that my husband knew the Aros were in town but didn't tell me.

"Mom?" Matteo asks his hand on my shoulder.

I look up at him and smile.

"Are you okay? You've been a little distracted tonight."

"I'm sorry, honey. It was just," I shake my head and chuckle. "It was a rough day. How are you? How was school?"

He shrugs and his face tightens.

"It was all right."

He's quiet as he helps me clean the kitchen. We load the dishwasher and put away the extra food.

"Hey, Mom?"

I look over at him as I wipe down the counter.

"So, that girl, you know?" he shrugs, and I nod. "She's been avoiding me. Like turning and walking in the opposite direction when she sees me."

I stop what I'm doing and look up at him.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I mean, we were getting along great, and then she just ..." he trails off.

I don't honestly know what to say. I feel so terrible, it seems like whenever he gets close to anyone, he gets hurt.

"I'm sure there is a reason, Matt."

"Sometimes I feel like it's pointless to make friends. They all just leave anyway," he says, walking out of the kitchen before I can respond.

O_o_O

_**Grace**_

"Are you listening to me?"

I look up at Michael with narrowed eyes, but I don't answer him.

"Have you even tried to talk to them? Jesus Christ, how can you be so fucking slow? We give you one job; make friends with those fucking Cullen kids. It's not that hard."

"Why do I need to make friends with them? Shouldn't you be able to find out about them by slithering around the city of Chicago? It's not as if they're hiding."

His hand flashes out too quick for me to move, and he has my hair in his hand. He pulls it so that I'm looking up at him.

"You want to be tough little girl?" He asks, spitting in my face while he speaks.

"Michael," Angelo finally steps in.

Michael pushes my head away, making me fall on the floor.

"Do what you're fucking told. Stop trying to use that little brain of yours."

Renee is sitting in the corner, as usual, trying to make herself small and invisible.

I stand up, grab the dishes from the table and walk into the kitchen. I close my eyes in the effort to stop the tears from escaping. My heart is beating furiously in my chest, and my hands are shaking.

The anger takes over, and I throw the dishes in the sink. I turn and walk toward my bedroom not caring that there are shards of glass everywhere.

I hate this family.

O_o_O

I sit on the steps of the church waiting for Matteo.

I know he is pissed off at me. I've been avoiding him since Michael and Gino got to Chicago. He probably thinks I'm just like everyone else, shunning him because of his family name.

But that's not it. I have been avoiding him, but not because I want to. Michael is planning something, and the Cullen kids are his target. I have no idea what he's planning, but my gut tells me it's bad. Kidnapping or something, and I don't want to be the one that helps him.

A Cadillac SUV pulls up to the curb and the doors open.

"Later, Pops."

"Bye, Daddy."

I have my hoodie and sunglasses on and it takes everything in me to stay seated when Matteo gets out of the car.

Giuliana sees me on the steps and her eyes narrow as she passes me. Luca doesn't even bother looking at me, and Matteo is walking with his arm around Annabelle.

The SUV sits at the curb for a minute before pulling away. When it's gone, I stand up and follow Matteo into the church.

I sit behind him, hoping that I can at least speak to him before he can walk away.

My nerves are absolutely shot and I'm thankful for the flask I have in my bag.

"Matteo, I need to talk to you," I whisper.

His body is stiff; I can almost feel the tension rolling off him.

Luca turns and gives me a dirty look, before laughing at me and turning back toward the front.

I feel so small and worthless right now but ...

"I know I've been … I didn't want to stay away from you. Please, let me explain."

Matteo stands up and moves into the pew I'm sitting in.

"Look, I get it. We're the Cullens, you don't want to be associated with us. I get it—Free pass or whatever the fuck. Just leave us alone," his eyes are hard and angry and I want to cry.

"Matteo," my voice breaks and the tears I've been holding in begin to spill over. My throat hurts with the effort.

"Matteo, my … brother is in Chicago." I hate calling him my brother, but that's what he is, right? I'm related to a disgusting human being who is constantly ruining my life.

He looks at me as if I'm crazy and snorts. "And?"

I cover my mouth, and my tears are still falling. I can feel his family's eyes on me, but all I can focus on is Matteo's disinterest.

"Michael Aro is my brother, and he's here for your family."

Matteo's body becomes even more rigid than it was a few seconds ago, and I hear Luca curse.

Before I even know what is happening, Matteo is pulling me up and pulling me out of the church. I can hear footsteps behind us, but I feel as if I'm in a bubble; I'm numb. I know what happens to the enemy, and if Matteo thinks I'm the enemy …

Matteo still has a hold of my wrist, and I can hear the others behind us. He is walking quickly, talking on his phone and I can barely keep up with him.

Luca opens a door, and we are inside of a little cafe.

Giuliana walks up to the counter and orders something as Matteo pulls out a chair.

"Grace, sit down," his voice is quiet and strained, and he still has the phone to his ear.

Luca and Frankie are whispering to one another and Annabelle is staring at me with wide eyes.

I grab a napkin from the dispenser on the table and wipe my face and nose.

"I thought your last name was Whitlock?" Annabelle asks.

"It is," I whisper, and Annabelle frowns. Before she can say anything else, Matteo ends his call.

"Uncle Enzo is on his way to pick us up," Matteo says tiredly.

"Matteo," I start, but he holds his hand up.

"Don't. Just … don't," his jaw is clicking. "Wait until we get out of here."

My shoulders drop, and I can only guess what will happen when we leave here.

* * *

a/n: Hi! So here we go ... Poor Matteo, he's feeling a little down right now. Let's hope Grace can help clear things up for him. And what do you think of Special Agent Dwyer?

As always, thanks so much for reading & reviewing. You guys are amazing.


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I don't own them. A million thanks to SunflowerFran; she removed the words 'really and now' from this chapter. A lot ... really. And also, thanks so much to Vickishy for pre-reading. I bow to both of you. :)  
_

* * *

_(Edward)_

"What?" I yell, hearing the knock on the door.

"Edoardo, Enzo chiamò. C'è una situazione di emergenza. Ha raccolto tutti i figli dai  
scuola." (Edward, Enzo called. There's an emergency. He picked up all of the children from

school.)

I look up at Carlo and frown.

"Che cosa è accaduto? Dove sono?" (What happened? Where are they?)

"Sulla strada per la casa." (On the way to the house.)

"Let's go," I'm already on my way out of the office. Carlo is moving quickly, directing people as he goes.

He opens the car door for me and then runs around to the driver's side, and then we're moving through Chicago.

My mind is going a hundred miles an hour. What would cause Matteo to call Enzo? Did something happen at school? Did he see someone? Have the Aros approached him or one of the other kids?

I close my eyes and tilt my head back, I can't think about that. The idea that one of those filthy bastards got close to one of my children, my daughters, makes me want to murder someone. I can't even … I'm trying to stay calm, but my overactive imagination is getting the best of me.

Maybe _that woman _decided to make an appearance at the school. I've seen pictures of her, and she looks just like Bella. That probably would scare the shit out of the kids.

"Siamo arrivati."

"Pull into the garage. Has someone called Isabella?"

Carlo nods and pulls into the garage. As soon as we're in, I jump out of the car and run into the house.

"Matteo," I yell out.

I hear the front door open, and Bella's voice rings through the air, "Matteo, what's going on? Oh my God," her voice started out frantic but she finished with a gasp.

Running into the living room, my eyes seek out Bella; She is who I always seek out first.

Her hand is covering her mouth, and her face is pale. She loses her balance and Luca is next to her, steadying her.

"Bella!" I yell, scared as shit that she almost fell. Once my arms are around her, I look around the room, and I swear the ground beneath my feet shifts. "What the …" my voice trails off because I cannot believe what I'm seeing.

"It's impossible. Who are you and what's going on?" I'm almost yelling, I'm frantic.

There is a little slip of a girl sitting in my living room; black hair, blue eyes. She looks scared, her face is stained with tears, and I'm back to that night, sixteen years ago.

_No, no, no. I can't … she … it's her fault my brother is dead. Her fault. Her fucking lies and sneaking around caused this._

_The fucking car blew up in the driveway of our home. Gianna … oh my God. Demetri, my brother, my family._

_Bella and I are sitting on the stairs and then I'm floating. _

_My father is in my face._

_'Take care of the girl.'_

_Bella is collapsing__,__ and then she's __running__,__ and all I feel is __numb._

_'That bitch,' she says. 'I'm going to fucking kill her.'_

_I feel sick. I feel sick with what I've just seen and what is to come. I've never felt this way __before as if __I'm floating __along__,__ unaware __of what the hell is going on._

_'Sit down, I can't take care of you if you pass out.'_

_I slide down the wall. I can hear them. Bella is yelling at her, she's angry and __hurt__,__ but __she's doing this._

_Then there is crying, __screaming__,__ and __my vision comes back into focus._

_'Take care of the girl.'_

_She just had a baby._

_I feel sick._

_Then I think of the nephew I won't have because of this woman. The brother and sister that are gone because of her._

_She's pleading with me. _

_I can't listen to her. _

_I tune her out._

_I hear the __water__,__ and I __pray. I pray for me and for her because if anything, this night proves we are both going to hell._

_She's not moving __anymore__,__and __when I see her blue eyes staring up at the ceiling, I fall back._

Bella is crying in my arms, and I know she's in the same place I am, remembering that night.

"Matteo, explain this," my voice is gruff, and all of the children are looking at us with concerned eyes. They don't know the story, they obviously don't know that this girl looks just like her mother.

"Dad," Matteo stands up, his eyes are concerned and keep shooting over to Bella. "This is Grace. We were all friends up until about a week ago when she started avoiding us. Today, before mass, she told me that her brother is Michael Aro, and he's here for us."

My eyes close and I pull Bella closer to me.

"Giuliana, Annabelle," I say quietly. "Go get a water bottle and aspirin for your mother. Luca, call Zio Jasper, tell him we need him here now, then call your grandfather."

"Carlo," I call out, and he comes into the room. "We need more men here."

He nods and pulls his phone out.

"Dad, what's going on? Why are you and Mom so upset?"

I look at him for a long moment and then look back over at the girl.

How do I tell him that his biological parents are dead because of this girl's mother?

This girl … she looks like Alice, but she has a little Aro in her, too. It's almost as if they are warring inside of her, fighting for dominance.

I'm afraid of which one might win.

* * *

_(Matteo)_

I'm not sure what in the hell is going on, but my parents are scaring the shit out of me.

Mom can't stop crying, and Dad; he's just quiet. Not talking, holding Mom, but no talking.

His eyes don't leave Grace, and it's as if he's having a flashback or something. He keeps zoning out and then he'll shudder and look over at me.

Guilt.

Anger.

Sadness.

Fear.

They keep crossing his face, over and over again.

Who the hell is this girl, and why does she have this reaction on my _parents_?

She won't make eye contact with anyone either. She's curled up in a ball, trying to hide herself, but it isn't working. If anything, it makes her stand out more.

When the doorbell rings, Juju runs to answer. My grandfather and uncle walk in and stop in their tracks.

Juju is under Papa Carlisle's arm, Uncle Jasper's face is in that '_what the fuck is this_' kind of expression.

"Edward, Isabella," Papa Carlisle says, quietly.

Mom wipes her face and stands up. Juju lets go as my grandfather pulls Mom into a tight hug. And like my dad, his eyes never move from Grace's huddled form in the armchair.

"Girls, Lou is going to take you to the house. Grab what you need."

Annabelle and Grace frown, but they run upstairs and come back down with a duffle bag. They kiss Mom and Dad, hug Luca and me, and they follow Lou outside.

It's eerily quiet.

Mom, Dad, Uncle Jasper, Gramps, Luca and I are all sitting or standing on one side of the room, and Grace is by herself in the corner.

I want to go to her.

I want to.

But I'm still pissed off that she stopped talking to me. I'm also pissed off that this girl is related to the Aros.

"So, Grace, is it?" Papa Carlisle asks.

She looks up and nods, wiping her face with the sleeve of her sweater.

"Can you tell us what is going on? How did you end up in Chicago?"

I stand up and go into the kitchen.

My hands are shaking, and I'm nervous about what she's going to say. I grab a bunch of water bottles and walk back into the living room.

I place one next to Grace, and she gives me a small smile before she starts crying again.

Jesus, this girl cries a lot.

I place the rest of the bottles on the coffee table, before opening one for myself.

"Mr. Cullen," she says, and then looks at all three of the men behind me. "I didn't come here to start trouble, I swear. Renee had this terrific idea that we should move to Chicago, so we moved to Chicago. No one talks to me, or Renee, the family just keeps tabs on us and tells us to move every couple of years, so I just figured it was ... Whatever, the usual moving around."

She's playing with the paper on the water bottle.

"I didn't know we were in Chicago because Renee had a daughter here. She never said anything, and Angelo didn't stop us from moving. So um … last week Renee told me about her daughter and children and that the kids go to St. Mike's. She doesn't know all of your names, only that you are Cullens, and from that information I pieced it together that Matteo and …" she trails off, swallowing.

"Then Michael and his friends showed up demanding that I make friends with the Cullen kids, and to report back to him. I refused to do that. Matteo was the only person that talked to me that first day at school. He invited me to sit with him and his family at lunch. He was so nice to me," she cries. "I refused to … what? Use him? Turn against him? Why would I do that to the only people that have been kind to me?"

I look up, my mom is standing by the window, Uncle Jasper is frowning, Gramps is still watching Grace and my Dad is pacing. Luca is playing with a water bottle, but his body is tense next to mine.

"Okay, so what happened that made you try to talk to Matteo again?" My mom asks, setting a box of tissue next to Grace.

"Last night, Michael started yelling at me because I hadn't become friends with them," she shrugs, her hand going to the back of her head.

I frown as I hear these words ... Did he hit her?

"He was furious and got in my face, and I'm sure he would have hit me had Angelo not stopped him. Renee just sat there and …" She shakes her head and sighs. "I'm so tired. I'm so tired of everyone hating me for something I don't have any control over, and I just decided that I'm not going to help them hurt the kids that were my friends for a little while, even if I end up dying in the process."

Her voice is sad and resigned, and I feel like … I don't even know _what_ I'm feeling, but I can't get my head around someone hurting her or the fact that she knows she's going to die.

"Has Michael said anything about what he's planning?"

She shakes her head.

"He," she swallows and takes a drink of water. "He's extremely focused on the 'Cullen kids'. I am only guessing that he's going to try kidnapping or something, you know? Like if I'm friends with them, it will give a false sense of security," she shrugs.

Papa Carlisle is nodding, and Dad looks horrified.

"Okay, Grace you aren't leaving here today."

She has tears rolling down her cheeks, and she has that resigned look on her face again.

"I'm going to make lunch. Grace, why don't you join me?" Mom says, and Grace looks up in surprise. "We'll be in the kitchen," Mom says before kissing Dad's cheek.

Grace stands awkwardly, and glances at me before following my mom into the kitchen.

I look over at my Dad.

"Look," Dad says, "I'm a little fucking freaked out right now. When I walked in and saw her sitting there, ..." His voice trails off.

"It was like we went back in time. The only difference is the hair."

"Yeah," Dad says.

He walks over to the liquor cabinet and pulls out a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses.

He hands everyone a glass, including Luca and me, and we all say salud in unison, and take a drink.

"So what do we do?" I ask.

"We already knew there were Aros in town. Three wannabe wise guys, the girl, Renee and the handler. Our contact hasn't heard of any others," Dad says.

"I think the wise guys are acting on their own. There's no way Daniel would send people here, not after what happened last time," Uncle Jasper pipes in.

"What happened last time? The whole story, not the bits and pieces you guys keep giving us," Luca asks.

"A few guys went to New York. It was organized chaos and a lot of the Aro businesses took a hit."

My eyes go wide. "Whoa."

"Yeah," Dad looks over at Uncle Jasper with a smile. "It was genius."

Papa Carlisle shakes his head. "What's next? Are you going to play around with these guys?"

"I don't know. What do you think he's after?"

"Revenge," Luca says. "It's what I would do. If they took out my dad, attacked the money we had coming in, ruined our business relationships … well, I guess they did that themselves, but you know they blame us for it. I'd wait until I was in a position to attack, and go after them. I'd go off the grid. If I pulled it off, you guys would move me up, right?"

"After kicking your ass," Dad says. "Yeah. You'd get yours."

"That simple? Revenge," I ask.

"Sometimes, simple reasons create the most bloodshed," Papa Carlisle is nodding his head again. Probably playing the scene out in his head.

"What do we do about the girl?"

"I hate where she comes from, but it sounds as though her life has been difficult," Uncle Jasper says.

"She must really hate them to come to us," Luca says.

"Or we're playing right into their hands," I mutter.

My dad looks over at me, "you think she's setting us up?"

I shake my head and shrug.

"I don't know, but my gut tells me we can't trust her yet. I mean, yeah, she stopped talking to us so she could tell them we weren't friends, but who knows if this is her way of providing that 'false sense of security'?"

Uncle Jasper starts pacing, and we all look over at him.

"I don't think she's playing us," he shrugs. "I think she's had it rough with this family, but Alice was all about protecting Alice. She played both sides for a long time. I think Matteo's right, we can't quite trust her."

I have a feeling that Luca and I are being tested. Dad and Uncle Jasper are trying to see where are heads are. Can we piece things together? Can we come up with a plan?

It's pretty obvious they already knew about the Aros being in town. I think seeing Grace is what threw them all for a fucking loop. It sounds like she looks just like the woman they dealt with all those years ago. Dad and Mom never told me what actually happened, but I know it's something that haunts them. I saw Dad break down the first time he held Annabelle and Marco; I didn't understand why he was so upset, but now I think I'm getting the picture.

I'm not sure how I feel about all of this.

Grace is the baby that was born on the same night as me. The night our parents were murdered.

My birth parents were murdered by the family Grace's mother was involved with.

And Grace's birth mother was killed by my family.

I know that the woman was killed in response to what happened to my birth parents, but what exactly did Grace's mother do? Did she truly have a hand in the actual death of Demetri and Gianna, or was she a pawn, just as Grace has become?

At this moment, I have too many thoughts running through my head.

"So, what do you two think should happen?"

Luca looks over at me. We are going to be responsible for the girls now, full time. Somehow, we need to work Grace into this. He knows that I have feelings for her; we know what needs to happen.

"Luca and I will make sure to keep an eye on things at school, keep the girls safe. Grace … well, we need to include her in our group. I'm thinking, I mean, the closer we are, the more believable it looks, and we'll be able to figure out if she's on the level."

"And we'll be able to find out information about the Aros. We don't know who the third guy is; he could be higher up."

Dad is looking at me with a mixture of pride and pity. I know the pride is because my brother and I are stepping up, and I'm pretty sure the pity is because he knows I like Grace, and any kind of relationship between us is pretty much destined to fail.

* * *

a/n: hi! So here is the chapter ... I hope you like it. Bella and Grace's POV are next up. Thanks so much for all of your reviews last chapter. I loved them and a few of you gave me some great ideas to bounce around.

Thanks so much for reading. I truly appreciate it.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I don't own them. SunflowerFran made this pretty and Vickishy pre-read. Both of them make me smile._

* * *

_Bella_

In the kitchen, we are both quiet. I've handed her the salad fixings and a knife.

She works confidently, which shouldn't surprise me. She is probably the one who cooks and cleans at home.

I have so many questions … but I can only focus on the fact that she lives with my mother.

The woman I haven't seen since I was a child.

I wonder if she actually takes care of this girl or if the girl takes care of her.

"Grace," I say, quietly. "Are you okay? In that home, with those people, are you okay?"

It's the first thing that comes out of my mouth because out of all of the questions I have, I am a mother first, and if she's in a bad situation … we can't just let her stay there.

She shrugs and frowns.

"I mean, yeah. No one beats me, or anything. Michael pulled my hair yesterday when I talked back, and my head is a little sore, but they mostly leave me alone. Michael and his lackey are just jerks, and he hates me."

She shrugs again and continues cutting vegetables.

_This is so uncomfortable._

"So have you been with Renee all of this time?" I ask.

I'm grilling chicken on the opposite side of the counter with my back towards her.

She nods, "I was in Italy for a long time. It was better there. I have always been …" she shakes her head and shoulders as if she's trying to find words, "shuffled around. So I'd spend time all over, and no one actually took to me, so to speak. I learned very quickly how to fend for myself and not cause trouble. I don't know when Renee actually came into the picture, but the family dislikes us both, so it made sense that they would stick us together."

"Is the man with you Renee's husband or …?"

"Angelo?" She asks, raised eyebrows.

I nod.

"No," she laughs. "He's just a babysitter; makes sure we don't get out of line or make any friends. He handles our locations, houses and what not. He's totally sucking up to Michael and the lackey right now."

I stay quiet, thinking this over.

They are pretty much isolated from everyone. The family won't allow for them to leave, but can't kill them either.

"I was just trying to hold out until I turn sixteen. My birthmother left me money. A little bit goes into a bank account every month. It's what I use to go shopping for clothes and stuff, but I've been saving most of it. I figure, when I turn sixteen, I'll at least be able to get around. I can get a license, buy a car," she trails off.

"Escape."

Her blue eyes are on mine, and I understand her completely.

"Where would you go? You're so young."

"Anywhere. Everywhere."

"They'd never stop looking for you."

"I know," she sighs. "But I have to try. Well," she laughs and shakes her head. "Being here pretty much signs my death certificate. Either Michael, or someone in this family will end me," she nods, and frowns. "But you know, I'm okay with it. I'm doing what's right, and I'm not actually living anyway, so what does it matter."

My heart is beating rapidly in my chest. I'm shocked at this girl.

"We aren't going to _do_ anything to you," I say.

She's looking at me again, with confused, bright blue eyes.

"Why wouldn't you? I am putting your family in danger."

"_You_ aren't doing anything. You could have been in the city for months, years, without us ever noticing. Michael Aro deciding he deserves some sort of … retribution is the problem here."

I am leaning against the counter, not breaking eye contact with her.

"That family thinks they are entitled to things that they aren't. Do you know anything about what happened to your mother?" I ask.

She shakes her head no, setting the knife down.

"I knew her, a little. I had done photo shoots for her," I say. "I am pretty sure I still have them on a hard drive if you want to see them."

She nods, her eyes wide and a little glassy.

"At first she was eager; very excited about everything, always happy. Her clothing designs were eccentric and cool … She was exceptionally talented. I went to her, actually, to design my wedding dress."

My mind winds back to that time.

It was scary and confusing. I had just come to grips with marrying Edward, and the wedding was already being planned. It was all so simple in the beginning.

Nodding at Grace to continue with the salad, I clear my throat and remove the chicken from the grill.

"Things were going well until Felix Aro showed up in town. He set a series of events into motion, which ultimately pulled Alice and her secrets into the open.

She was with Felix, in the beginning. I don't exactly remember what she told me, but something happened; someone had been injured; shot or stabbed. Felix took the person along with his crew, back to their apartment, totally surprising Alice.

She learned who and what he was that night and then Felix pretty much cut her off. He wouldn't go home, or talk to her," I wave my hand in the air.

"One evening, she was walking home and she saw Felix having dinner with another woman. It was a breaking point for her, but when she got home, Alec was sitting on the steps waiting for her."

I look over at Grace; she is frowning and shaking her head.

"She entered a contract with the devil at that point. He sent her here, to Chicago, with instructions to get close to our family. She ended up pregnant with you, pissed off a lot of people, and eventually Edward and I got to her."

She wipes away a tear and starts tossing the salad.

"Edward sent her away with instructions and money to stay hidden. We tried to spare you both by getting her out of the line of fire, so to speak. But somehow, she ended up back in Chicago and this time she was with Demetri and Gianna, Matteo's birth parents. I still don't understand why or how she ended up with them; I never asked. Anyhow, she caused a lot of chaos, and we never figured out why. She was playing all of us against each other, turning people against one another, starting rumors and spreading lies to anyone who would listen. I'm sure she was trying to save herself, get herself out, but it was too late.

Then a car bomb went off in front of our home, somehow Gianna held on long enough to give birth to Matteo. Alice went into labor," I pause and take a deep breath. "I delivered you."

Her eyes go wide, and she sways a little.

"Alice, Demetri and Gianna didn't make it that night and you and Matteo were the victims of a horrible vendetta."

I can hear the murmur of the men talking in the living room, but my eyes don't leave Grace.

"Was it her fault that Matteo's parents were killed?"

I shake my head, "I don't know. I know she had been trying to make contact with someone, asking them to help her. Who knows if that is what lead to the bombing. Both families lost a lot by the time it was all said and done."

I move around the kitchen grabbing the ingredients to make the vinaigrette, and start assembling the salads, placing the now sliced chicken over the top.

"Can you take this through that door into the dining room, please?"

I hand her a tray with bowls of extras, and a dish with the vinaigrette.

When she is out of the kitchen, I collapse against the counter. I want to cry, and I feel the anger from that time of our lives bubbling up inside of me.

I am so biased here, my family is my priority, and from my point of view, we are right and justified.

But I had to keep it neutral, I didn't want to speak badly of the mother she never had the chance to meet.

I take a deep breath and make my way into the living room.

"Lunch is ready," I say, quietly.

Matteo is missing, but everyone else nods and moves toward the dining room.

Edward wraps me in his arms, and I place a kiss over his heart.

* * *

_Grace_

I walk into the dining room and look around.

A huge table in a dark wood with white, fabric colored chairs. There is an intricate candelabra- type fixture hanging from the ceiling.

A buffet with the same dark wood sits opposite the windows, with a decorative mirror just behind it reflecting the sunlight from the outside. There is also a fireplace at the end of the room with a family photograph sitting above the mantle.

I place the tray in the middle of the table and make my way over to the fireplace.

The Cullen Family is staring down at me, all with smiles on their faces. The photograph is … lovely. They aren't posed, not really. Mrs. Cullen is sitting on Mr. Cullen's lap; Matteo and Luca are standing next to Mrs. Cullen. Matteo is holding his mother's hand, and Luca has an arm wrapped around Matteo's shoulder. Giuliana and Annabelle are next to Mr. Cullen, Giuliana has her head resting on his head and Annabelle is kneeling, resting against her father's legs. There is a little boy, probably two years old that is sitting on Mr. Cullen's feet, and Mrs. Cullen has her hand in his hair.

They look so happy. They look as if they all love each other.

I'm so jealous that I never had that in my life.

Matteo undoubtedly got the better end of the deal, being born into the Cullen family.

I hear a throat clear, and I turn around to find Matteo standing in the archway on the opposite side of the room.

I wipe my face and look at the ground.

"Can we talk?" He asks.

I shrug, nodding and following him out of the room.

The kitchen is empty when we walk in, and he opens the patio door, allowing me to walk past him.

He gestures toward a bistro chair, and I sit.

He's sitting across from me, elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

I don't know what to say. After the story I had just heard, how could he not hate me? My birth mother brought the Aros into his family's life causing a chain of events that left him an orphan before he was even born.

"Look," he says, sighing and sitting back in his chair. "This is … fucked up. I don't actually know what to feel right now. I'm," he takes a deep breath. "I'm really pissed off that you disappeared on me."

I open my mouth, but he holds his hand up.

"I get why you did it, but it doesn't stop me from being angry. And then, to find out that you are a part of _that _family. That you and I share the same story, but on opposite sides of the game."

"I … your mom told me; the story," I wave my hand between the two of us. "I'd never heard it before. I'm sorry that your parents were killed, I'm sorry that the family took them away from you."

He frowns and looks at the ground. His hands clasped tightly in front of him.

"I'm sorry that you lost your mom," he says, quietly. "I don't know how your life has been, but I lucked out in the parent department. I have siblings that accept me unconditionally, even though ..." He trails off.

He sits forward again, leaning toward me.

"I don't know if I can trust you and it's killing me. Two weeks ago, I would have believed pretty much anything you would have told me, but now," he shakes his head. "There are too many questions, too many variables."

My heart sinks. I knew this was going to happen, but it still hurts.

"For now, let's just … try to be friends, okay? I want you to be safe, and I want to trust you."

I must look like an idiot because I'm utterly shocked by his words.

"What?" I ask, stupidly.

"We have a plan," he waves his hand toward the house. "I'm sure it will be discussed over lunch, but it will mean we have to trust each other. If we bring you into our circle, you can't run again or hide things from us."

"That wasn't what I was expecting," I whisper.

"This whole situation is pretty unexpected."

"Yeah," I say, and look closely at the boy, man, in front of me.

"Really? You're going to help me?"

He nods, and an odd look comes over his face.

"I really like you," he says so quietly, it's almost a whisper. "But I'm not sure how we'll … be, when this is all over … if we can be anything."

"I know," I say, sadly. "But we are going to try, right, friends, at the very least?"

He nods and looks toward the kitchen.

"Let's go have lunch," he stands and holds a hand out to me.

I take his hand, and I can feel the hope bubble in my chest, even though I know it's stupid.

One way or the other, I know in my heart that this is going to end badly for me.

But I'm going to take what I can get from this boy in front of me, even if friendship is all it can be.

I will enjoy the kindness of this family, until everything catches up with me.

* * *

a/n: Hi! Happy weekend! For those of you that have children, Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you like this one. Things are moving back to Edward next time. I really appreciate all of the reviews. Thanks so much for the encouragement and interest in the story. I've signed up for two Fandom Gives events. Fandom4LLS and Fandom Gives for disaster relief with Mina Rivera. Please go and and take a look. Any type of help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. :) I also wanted to sign up for Ruggedward but I just didn't have the time to work on it to get it where it needed to be for Fran to do her magic. (sigh). Next time. I am pretty excited to read the stories that are submitted though. Yep...

See you next weekend! Have a lovely week and stop FB to say hello. :)


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